On The Edge
by Echoz
Summary: Draco's life is falling apart right in front of his eyes. His mother died, he tries to kill himself, and much more. The only person who can save him is a new Slytherin named Kayla, can she save him before its too late?
1. The News

"I'm on the outside And I'm looking in I can see through you See your true colors 'Cuz inside your ugly You're ugly like me I can see through you See the real you..." Staind, "Outside"  
  
"Draco, I'm very sorry. We just received word today that something has happened," Professor Dumbledore explained, his eyes filled with sorrow, his lips moving slowly. Draco sat across from the desk on a chair, his mind transfixed on the conversation. Professor Dumbledore hesitated a moment before he continued.  
"Last night your Mother passed away." Draco was shocked. His breath automatically came in short, his eyes widened but his vision became blurry. Chills ran up and down his spine as dizziness filled his consciosness.  
"What?" Draco choked, his eyes filling with tears he was fighting to hold back.  
"Well, it was an accident somehow, your father says. She was helping one of the house-elves put away the knives and she slipped, and somehow, the knife reached her throat..."  
Draco froze, fear rising in him. He suddenly failed to hold back his tears, and they streamed down his face, This couldn't be happening. His mother was one of the only reasons he was alive. His father would used to beat him for countless reasons, but his mother protected him, often getting hit herself. His parents often got into arguments over how to raise him, often going on long into the time when he was trying to sleep. This must be how he had gotten his mean, crude ways. He managed to keep his cool, something his mother taught him, whenever he was feeling aggravated or angry, but his father taught him the rude actions he often did. But, deep down inside, he knew he was a nice person, but he covered it up with the rough exterior that everyone saw.  
"I'm very sorry Draco....I have asked the rest of the teachers if you could miss classes until Christmas vacation. Also, if you would like to go home earlier, I could arrange that. Would you still like to go home?" Dumbledore's face held back no sorrow or pity as he watched Draco silently cry.  
"Yes," Draco choked, barely being able to get the words out as his voice trembled. He knew that if he stayed at Hogwarts, he would get a brutal beating once he got home for the summer. "I want to stay here for the holidays." he clutched the armrests of the chair, as he went pale and stood up. He stumbled and staggered towards the door, "Thank you professor."  
"I'm very sorry Draco. If there is anything I can do, please feel free to come to me," Draco nodded slightly and dizzily pushed the door open. Professor Snape, who had escorted Draco to Dumbledore's office, was leaning against the wall silently. He stared at Draco as Draco turned his head and wiped his tears.  
"Are you okay Draco? I know losing a mother is a very sad thing. I lost mine when I was your age. I hope you feel better." Snape turned, waited for Draco's reply, a nod, then began walking away, obviously pitying the sight of Draco, his Slytherin-most like student on the brink of depression.  
"I can't believe this," Draco thought to himself, his mind racing with questions. "Something's wrong, my mother would never help one of our house- elves, she wouldn't do that....She either killed herself or-or father killed...oh Merlin."  
Draco managed to drag himself to the Slytherin common room without crying in front of everyone. The room was filled with Crabbe, Goyle, Pansy Parkinson, and some new kids from the Diagon Alley School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, which had sadly burned into ashes the week before.  
From what he heard, the DASWW was a school that had gotten burned down either by some death eaters or it was an accident. The students were all transferred to different schools, and a good amount was added to Hogwarts.  
He didn't know the new students, just a few of their names, like some of the girls that Pansy had introduced him to. They were Kayla, Christina, and Morgan. Morgan had black hair, dark eyes and was very shy. Christina was like her too, except she had red hair and green eyes. But, even she didn't stand out in the crowd. Kayla caught Draco's attention immediately.  
She had light brown hair that fell about three inches below her shoulders with blonde highlights. Her eyes were a warm, welcoming blue that seemed to go on forever. You could easily see the emotion in her eyes, and it was usually the happy, joyful girl she seemed to be. Kayla was very outgoing and seemed to act as a mentor to her two friends, and with every passing day, the Slytherins were liking her more and more. But not many people knew her real life and history. Draco was slightly curious, but he didn't show it, at least not with Pansy around, who was the over protective girl friend that would do anything to impress her peers about her boyfriend.  
"Hey Draco!" Pansy cried, waving as she stood in the corner with Morgan, Christina and Kayla. She tossed her hair and turned back to the small crowd, completely avoiding Draco's sadden looks. He ignored her and tried to fake a smirk, which didn't fool Crabbe and Goyle. They both strode over to him as he collapsed on the couch in front of the fireplace and sat down on both sides of him.  
"What's wrong?" Crabbe asked, with the stupid look on his face he adopted the second he was born.  
"Nothing...." Draco groaned, looking over his shoulder only to see Pansy still talking with the girls even though she knew he was sad.  
"Pans, I think Draco's feeling down..." Draco heard Kayla say, nodding towards Draco's direction. Pansy let an aggravated groan escape her lips as she spun around and walked slowly towards Draco. He saw out of the corner of his eye the slouching figure making his way towards him. Draco shooed Crabbe and Goyle off the couch before Pansy causally sat down next to him, putting her right arm around his shoulders and looking into his deep, gray eyes.  
"What's wrong?" she asked, displaying no emotion.  
"Nothing...."  
"What is it?"  
"It's nothing, believe me," he said, with a pleading tone in his voice.  
"Really? What's wrong?"  
"I said it's nothing!" Draco yelled, shaking her arm off of him and standing up off the couch. He clutched his fists and walked to the door into the dorms and closed the door behind him. Draco didn't need the aggravation of his girlfriend acting so miserable with him on top of the new tragedy.  
But he had no idea that his problems were just starting. 


	2. You Can't Choose You're Life

"Broken heart again Another lesson learned Better know your friends Or else you will get burned..." ~ Mary J. Blige "No more drama"  
  
Draco laid on his bed, staring at a picture frame of his family, walking around in the picture, waving and having a great time for hours on end. He stared at his mothers figure hugging him in the picture, and laughing. Tears had filled his eyes repeatedly, and he still tried to keep his tears in. None of the Slytherins had attempted to comfort him, not even Pansy, who was too busy talking about what she wanted to get for Christmas to worry about Draco.  
Sighing, Draco stood on his two feet, and walked over to the window, which was overlooking the school grounds. Snow was falling lightly on the already covered ground, and the sky was as gray as his eyes. Telling by the movement of the trees, Draco could tell the wind was blowing slightly. The ground, covered in snow about three inches deep, was pure with no footprints anywhere on it. Draco sighed, put the picture down and dressed himself in a green robe with silver hemming. He threw a silver and emerald green scarf around his neck and grabbed some black gloves.  
Draco walked into the common room, avoiding the glances that Crabbe and Goyle tossed at him. He made his way out of the common room, down the hall, and out the door. There he stood, looking up at the sky, raining snow. Everything was silent, except for the wind blowing towards the east. He sighed and began walking over towards the Quidditch Field, his mind racing with confused thoughts.  
The snow crunched under his boots as the snow slowly covered his tracks. He took his wand out of his pocket as he neared the Slytherin Broom Closet. Once he reached the snow-covered closet, he pointed his wand at it and said "Alohomora", opening the door to the closet. Draco reached in and grabbed his Broomstick, and expensive, sleek, Thunderbolt 4000, the best of its kind. As he turned around, he noticed Kayla walking towards him, wearing an emerald green cloak and gloves. She cocked her head.  
"Where are you going?" Kayla asked, her hair flapping slightly in the wind. Draco stared at her and hesitated before answering dryly;  
"Flying." His eyes showed no emotion, and his voice lost all of its meanness. He just stood there, mentally and spiritually drained.  
"Can I come?" Kayla asked, standing a foot from Draco. She stared deeply into his eyes, but he still showed no emotion.  
"Sure." Draco reached back and grabbed a broomstick, a Thunderbolt 1000. He handed it to her and Kayla took it happily. Draco closed the door to the closet and kicked off the ground. He hovered for a moment and waited for Kayla to fly, and she got right up with him. The two flew higher and higher, and slowly began flying in a large circle.  
"Draco, something's wrong. I know it, you're not acting like yourself. What's wrong?" Kayla turned her broomstick so that they were flying side by side, almost touching eachother. He was surprised to see how good she could fly, but he let her notice that.  
"Ugh..." He groaned, obviously not wanting to say anything. "It's complicated."  
But Kayla wasn't going to give in yet. She shook her head. "You can't hold something like this in, whatever it is. It'll build up and explode. If you know what I mean." Draco still said nothing. Kayla sighed. "You can be so stubborn. I promise I won't tell anyone, it'll be our secret." Draco looked at her and stared into her endless blue eyes. He held eye contact for a few moments then dropped his gaze.  
"Okay..." He took a deep breath, "I just found out today that my Mother died. Something happened last night, and her throat got cut, and she just..." His voice drifted away into the wind. Kayla could tell he was trying really hard to be brave about it, but she knew better than to think it didn't bother him. Kayla gasped, unaware of the tragedy.  
"Oh...I'm so sorry Draco. Is there anything I can do?" Kayla asked sadly, losing grip on the broomstick. Draco shook his head. He avoided her question.  
"I think they're hiding something from me...though I don't know what. Professor Dumbledore said that she slipped when she was holding a knife. She was supposed to be helping one of our house-elves put away the dishes and she was holding a knife....the weird thing is, my Mother would never help one of our house-elves. She hates them."  
Kayla watched him as he seemed to be lost in thought, his gray eyes holding a faraway look in them as he stared across the Quidditch field. She sensed his fear, even though he seemed to hide everything.  
"Draco?" Kayla asked, attempting to turn his attention away from the Quidditch Field. He turned his head to the side slightly, "What do you think happened then?"  
"I don't know. It wasn't an accident, I just know it."  
"Well then...?" Kayla didn't know what to say.  
"I don't know..."  
As the two turned slowly around the corner, a black figure was flying, making its way towards the two, holding something red. Draco squinted and watched the bird make its way closer. It was his Owl, Midnight, holding a...HOWLER!  
"Dammit!" Draco watched the Owl fly at surprising speed and landed on the edge of the broomstick, dropping the red, smoking envelope onto Draco's lap. He groaned as he took it and dropped the letter. The envelope barely fell three feet before it exploded:  
"DRACO, YOU HAVE RUINED THIS FAMILY FOR THE LAST TIME! YOUR MOTHER IS DEAD, AND GUESS WHOS FAULT IT IS! CERTAINLY NOT MINE! I HEARD FROM DUMBLEDORE THAT YOU WANTED TO STAY AT HOGWARTS FOR THE HOLIDAYS, WHY?! WHY DO YOU HATE ME? WE'RE ALL ASHAMED OF YOU, YOU ARE A DISGRACE TO THE MALFOYS, BOY!" Draco's mouth opened as he stared, shocked at the shreds of paper falling towards the ground. His face was beet red and he was obviously embarassed. Draco closed his mouth and looked up into the sky, turning pale once more.  
"This is it I guess," Draco pushed himself off of his broom and let go of it. Kayla gasped as he fell quickly towards the Earth, having nothing to hold on to. Kayla pushed the front of her Thunderbolt and made it go at extremely fast speeds after Draco. As they both plummeted for the ground, Kayla tried to grab hold of his arm, and succeeded. Draco, who was slipping through her grip, clutched onto the end of the broom with his other hand as Kayla slowed down the Thunderbolt. She eased the Thunderbolt onto the snow covered ground and dropped the broomstick.  
Draco gained his balance and stared at her, as if she shouldn't have just saved his life. Kayla did not back down as she slapped him across the face. Draco staggered back as the slap hit him. He rubbed his cheek and glared at her viciously.  
"Draco, what the hell was that?" Kayla asked loudly, "Why did you-"  
Draco reached out and grabbed her wrist, and pulled her close, their faces an inch apart. Draco held her wrist down below her waist and he sneered wickedly, glaring at her. "Don't you dare ever hit me like that!" Draco's fingers tightened around her wrist with surprising force. Kayla ignored the last comment and shook her head disgustedly, wrenching her wrist free of his grip. "You don't know what the hell I've been through!"  
"You know what, Draco? You're right, I don't know what you've been through. But I do know that if you killed yourself right now, you would be leaving so much behind. As a friend, I don't want to see that happen." Kayla said, beginning to walk past him, but Draco shuffled in front of her, with a malicious look on his face.  
"Friend? I bet you don't know the first thing about friendship." He sneered, taking a step closer, forcing Kayla to walk backwards.  
"Apparently you don't either. What have Crabbe and Goyle ever done for you, huh? What did Pansy do to win your heart? She doesn't even care about you!" That last sentence stung him, and he stared at her, shocked. Draco narrowed his eyes as his hands turned into fists, but he managed to keep them down.  
"Why does it matter to you?" He asked dryly. At least he wasn't yelling anymore.  
"Because friends are all you have. Without them, you're nothing. Same thing with family. Get it through your dense head, Draco. There's a lot more to life than what you know, and you better start learning the basics now!" Kayla managed to walk by him, leaving the Slytherin dazed, vexed, and hurt. He watched over his shoulder as she stormed away towards the huge castle. 


	3. Spellbound

"How the Hell did we wind up like this? Why weren't we able, To see the signs that we missed, Now we turn the tables, Now the storie's played out like this, Just like, a paperback novel, let's rewrite an ending that fits, instead of a Hollywood Horror..."  
  
Draco walked down the long, empty hallway, not knowing what to do with himself. The snow stuck to his cloak and shivers ran up and down his spine.  
  
"Because friends are all you have. Without them, you're nothing. Same thing with family. Get it through your dense head, Draco. There's a lot more to life than what you know, and you better start learning the basics now!" Those words echoed through his mind, screaming at him with every passing second. Draco knew Kayla was right, but he couldn't admit it. It shocked him to hear someone say something like that, but he knew he had it coming...Someday.  
His footsteps echoed down the halls, not seeing anyone around. The paintings on the wall watched him shuffle past, not used to the sad look on his face. They muttered to themselves, and Draco was too overwhelmed to take any notice.  
Draco peeked into the Great Hall as he passed it. No one was in there except for a few of the teachers, and he didn't feel like talking to them either.  
"Maybe the Astronomy Tower is empty..." He thought to himself. "I just need a nice, quiet place to relax and let some steam off."  
So Draco marched up the spiral stairs leading to the Astronomy Tower. He reached for the large, wooden door that bordered him and the room. Draco turned the door knob and swung open the door.  
What he saw surprised him to where he lost control. He saw Pansy sitting on the couch, kissing...HARRY POTTER!!! She was stroking his hair with her fingers, as he was caressing the sides of her body. Pansy giggled as Draco stood there, burning with rage. Neither of them had noticed, and he decided to wait until they did. Thankfully, neither of them was naked or anywhere near it.  
Draco gritted his teeth and slammed the large door behind him. Both Pansy and Harry jumped, startled. Pansy jerked her head towards the door and saw Draco. Her eyes widened and she jumped off of Harry, scared to death.  
"DRACO!" Pansy shrieked, walking backwards away from the motionless Draco. He took one step towards her, but he was still all the way across the room.  
"What, Pansy? Are you going to get mad at me now?" Draco sneered. He darted forward and took her arm. He jerked her close to him, his rage clearly visible. His tone of voice was dry, cold, and the meanest anyone has ever heard. Pansy was breathing heavily, obviously nervous and scared.  
"I love you-" She muttered, her lips trembling. Draco narrowed his eyes and pushed her, letting her fall back and smash into the ground. She gasped as she grabbed onto the coffee table next to her, and tried to get up. Draco snickered.  
"No you don't. You wouldn't give a rat's ass if I was dead or not, wouldn't you?" Draco growled, his voice harsh. Then he snapped at Harry. "You little-" Draco raised his arm and turned to Harry, his hand in a fist. With his left hand, he grabbed Harry's collar and lifted him off the couch.  
"Any last words, Potter?" Draco snarled, cocking his head and glaring into Harry's green eyes.  
"Don't you get it Draco, she doesn't want you. She doesn't care about you! She-" Draco lost control and let his fist smash into Harry's face, blood immediately beginning to leak out of his nose. Draco threw his rival onto the ground and sat on him, sending multiple punches headed for Harry's face repeatedly.  
"Draco!" Pansy jumped off the ground and threw herself onto Draco from behind, trying to get him off of Harry. But Draco was too strong and shook her off. Harry took the advantage of having Draco trying to get her off him and he punched Draco, aiming higher than he actually hit. His blow hit Draco's neck, making him lose his breath for a second or two. Draco wrapped his hand over his throat and stood up and kicked Harry as hard as he could in his ribs. Harry rolled over in pain, clutching his stomach.  
Draco stared at him, then his eyes drifted over to Pansy, who was sitting on the floor next to the table, with a frightened look in her eyes. Draco flexed his jaw and sigh disgustedly. Without another word, he walked across the room and opened the door, slamming it once more behind him.  
Draco stormed down the hall, making his way quickly towards the Slytherin Common Room. Once he was inside, everyone was staring at him. Kayla bit her lip and walked over to him quietly. Christina and Morgan watched sadly as Kayla made her way to Draco.  
"Wanna talk?" Draco blinked and sighed, nodding. He led Kayla over towards his dorm and let her in. They were soon standing in a room lined with beds and bureaus. Draco took her arm and brought her over towards one of the beds, a large one with emerald-green velvet comforters and bedspread. It had the Slytherin symbol etched on the middle of the comforter, and Draco laid down on his bed, his arms behind his head..  
"What happened?" Kayla asked, sitting down next to Draco. She put her arms on her lap and watched his eyes stare at the ceiling.  
"I just caught Pansy cheating on me..." Draco sneered. Kayla nodded.  
"I could see this coming....I'm sorry, Draco." Kayla said sadly.  
"You saw it coming?"  
"Well, Pansy was...uh...using your wealth and popularity to her advantage...." Kayla hated to admit it, but Draco wanted to know. Draco barely looked surprised, and he never took his eyes off the ceiling.  
"Ugh..." Draco sighed, "I should've known. I realized she didn't really like me...I mean, she must hate me if she was cheating with the Potter boy." Draco sat up and stared into Kayla's blue eyes. Kayla bit her lip.  
"I don't think you two were ever supposed to be together...but it's just my opinion..."  
"Who do you think I should have been with?"  
"Well...You should take notice of who shows concern and cares about you." Kayla nervously stated, not sure whether he was going to snap at her or not. Thankfully, his expression did not change. "Not to say that you're...uh...self-absorbed." Kayla could varely take him staring at her, she was breaking down. He wasn't even blinking.  
"Draco?" Kayla couldn't hold eye contact and she stared at her feet. Draco sighed and closed his eyes.  
"I can't believe this..." Draco said, his voice cracking as his eyes remained closed. Tears were gently rolling down his cheeks, and he didn't even seem to care. Kayla suddenly felt bad and she moved closer to him, laying down sideways next to him. Draco opened his eyes as Kayla wiped the tears on one side of his face.  
"What?" Kayla asked sincerely, staring into those never ending eyes. Draco shook his head.  
"This has been the worst day of my life..." Draco's voice cracked once more. "My mom died. I wouldn't be feeling half as bad if she didn't...And I have to go home to my father for the vacation..." He clapped his hand over his mouth and watched Kayla's shocked expression. She narrowed her eyes.  
"What's wrong with your dad?"  
"Erm....He used to beat me if I did something wrong. My mom was there to help sometimes, without her, I'd probably be dead by now. I wasn't exactly close to my parents, that's why I'm not so depressed right now." Draco confessed, not realizing he was pouring his heart out to this girl.  
Kayla felt extremely bad for him and she rested her head on his chest, feeling the rise and fall and listening to his heart beat, which was going rather fast. Kayla rested her arm across his stomach as she snuggled next to him. She felt his body become tense under hers and she bit her lip.  
"I'm so sorry, Draco. I can't imagine how you feel right now. I'm sorry about earlier." Kayla closed her eyes until he made his response.  
"It's not your fault." But he didn't apologize. Kayla frowned and closed her eyes once more, remembering once more how dense and self-centered he was. "I can't believe I tried to kill myself.... Are there any good muggle weapons that you know of?" Kayla narrowed her eyes, although he couldn't see them.  
"Yes, but I'm not telling you."  
"Shit...." Draco paused. "I have to go home on Saturday for vacation. I wish I didn't have to go... But my father would probably kill me if I didn't. I'll have to see him eventually...." Draco's mind was racing with confusing thoughts as his inner self teared away at him, bringing back dreadful memories of being on the floor, taking repeated punches and kicks from his father.  
About an hour passed, and the two were drifting off into sleep. ~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
He was in his large house, listening to glass breaking in the kitchen. As the glass shattered, he looked around him, only to see that he was alone. Alone with his father.  
"DRACO!" A loud, cold voice echoed through the halls from the kitchen. Draco's heart began pumping rapidly, and chills ran up and down his spine as he began to walk towards the kitchen. His father Lucius appeared and grabbed Draco's shoulders, making him stand on the edge of the stairs that led down to the first floor.  
"YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT YOU'VE DONE TO THIS FAMILY!!!" Lucius roared, kicking one of Draco's shins, causing him to lose his balance and lean over the edge of the stairs. "IT'S TOO DAMN BAD THAT GIRL WAS THERE TO SAVE YOU, AND EVEN IF SHE WASN'T YOU PROBABLY STILL WOULDN'T BE DEAD!!! FACE IT BOY, NO ONE WANTS YOU!!! NOW GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY HOUSE!!!" Lucius pushed Draco back, letting go of his shoulders. Draco tripped and fell down the stairs, his head spinning, crashing into the walls.  
As he reached the bottom, he felt someone's arm grasp around him and lift his injured, hurt body off the floor. Draco's ribs were stinging with pain, his legs and arms were bruised, his lip was bleeding, and he had no strength. He opened his eyes to find that he had a dream.  
Drenched in cold sweat, shivering, he looked around his dorm room, to see that it was pitch black, and the snow was still falling. Draco felt something move on his stomach and tried to look at it, but didn't see anything. He picked up his wand and said, "Lumos"  
He sighed a sigh of relief to see that Kayla was still next to him, sleeping peacefully. Draco heard the wind whipping around violently outside, and the snoring of Goyle down on the other side of the room. Other than that, everything was silent. Draco calmed his breathing and closed his eyes once more.  
Draco's mind seemed to be somewhere else, thinking, "My life is taking some weird turns now. And I have no idea what's going to happen to me..." 


End file.
